


labrador tea tattoos

by Huzuzu470



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drabble, Fluff, M/M, Modern Era, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:34:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23692426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huzuzu470/pseuds/Huzuzu470
Summary: something about the guy profoundly annoys him, mainly because everything about him feels like a facade. he hasn't talked to him -- not outside of the shop yet, anyways, -- and if he didn't so profoundly piss levi off, he might even have admitted there was something attractive about him.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 10
Kudos: 82





	labrador tea tattoos

snapdragons are definitely levi's favourites.

he's always adored the soft pinks and yellows that push their way through the pavement cracks near the community pool in april, their tiny, fucked up little blossoms grouping into bunches and strands of flowers by mid-may. they look like little yawning mouths reaching out of the ground, which is, in and of itself, horrible.

he absolutely loves them. 

he doesn't carry them in the shop of course. instead, it's full of roses, and lilies, and scrawny bamboo plants in pots that are far too small, which has always pissed him off. anyone who knew shit about bamboo would keep them in larger containers. inevitably, every time he sells one of them, the buyer will be back two weeks later, and it's either that the leaves have yellowed, or the plant has died, or the roots are rotting -- whatever it is, levi almost always has to explain something about too much sun or the salt levels in tap water, as though googling it wouldn't have saved the plant a week before. idiots.

the days all blended together now, workdays in particular. maybe that's just what life becomes once you finish being in school, he wonders bleakly. an eternal… work limbo, where he wakes up, waters his own plants, (he'd never admit it, but they're named) showers, grabs coffee or something, and goes to the bus. the thought that the rest of his life would be so boring leaves a sour aftertaste in its wake.

it's a blustery morning outside -- spring has been especially cold this year. tiny drops that aren't quite rain hang in the air, not enough that he'll be soaked, but enough to definitely make him cold and wet and miserable. the wind weaves its way through the streets, mussing his hair and tangling it into thin, damp strands that fall on his cheeks, faint pinpricks where they hit his skin.

he gets to work early, 5 minute walk from the bus stop enough that he has to shake himself dry when he steps in, and spends the first fifteen minutes of the day restocking the shelves and polishing the glass of the countertop, the next fifteen reading behind the desk.

he gets about five customers on a good day. a crazy day is any time in the week before a commercial holiday. so it's exceptionally surprising that 20 minutes after he flips on the neon _open_ sign, a large man shambles his way in. it takes levi another second to register he's one of the tattoo artists from the parlour next door.

he shuffles his feet under the chair, thinking nothing of it really -- probably some gift for a girlfriend or mom or something, maybe a sort of "i fucked up" backpedal -- and goes back to reading. the guy doesn't look the shy type, he'll ask for help if he needs it. 

still, he's bored.

levi steals a second glance at the customer. his hair is light, slicked back, and shaved into something between a mullet and a mohawk, almost like a tail. his ears are stretched, and a ring loops around the centre of his lower lip. the rest of his body is mostly covered by a leather jacket, and levi has to stifle a scoff. his look was so, -- _artificial_ , really -- something so clearly fabricated through a few carefully chosen piercings that it's hard to take seriously. he looked more like captain america than a 70's punk, his image crisp and neat underneath the "grit," the leather smooth and new.

and all that was _before_ the guy stopped to look at the fucking bamboo plant display. levi feels himself audibly sigh. so much for curiosity.

he walks out 20 minutes later, buying nothing, levi's not really particularly disappointed.

* * *

he sees him on the bus a few times after that, a previously indistinguishable face in the crowd that now pops out at him. he'd probably have seen him before, if he'd paid attention, to be fair.

levi still doesn't know his name, but something about the guy profoundly _annoys_ him, mainly because everything about him feels like a facade. he hasn't talked to him -- not outside of the shop yet, anyways, -- and if he didn't so profoundly piss levi off, he might even have admitted there was something attractive about him. the slight furrow of early-stage crow's feet around his eyes as he gets on the bus, the way a few strands of hair flick upwards from the rest slicked down.

twice a week now, this guy comes into levi's shop, looks at his stock, and walks out again. it's driving levi absolutely crazy.

and maybe if he put up the full act of a tough guy, it would be less irritating. the whole motorcycle-leather-and-tough-as-nails act that a million other guys try to pull off. something about fully committing to the act, at least. but, time and time again, levi catches him crooning over the succulents, his fingers gently turning over their fleshy leaves, careful not to tear anything. last week he spent a full half hour staring at a vase of irises, his brow furrowed in concentration. sometimes levi can even hear him humming under the white noise of the fake pond.

and even though it annoys him, he's still… well, curious, if nothing else. levi's even caught him looking back on the bus, once or twice, which only made the whole thing worse. can't he just mind his fucking business?

on mondays when levi restocks, usually, he cuts the stems to keep the new stock fresh. this week the evening sun pours in through the window and shimmers across one of the vases, casting distorted rainbows across the counter, his book pressed open-faced against the desk. underneath the glass, packages of seeds and smaller cacti sit. the guy walks in. 

"hey," he says, and levi hardly looks up. "sorry to bother you again, but do you carry carnations?"

levi once again stops himself from laughing. "yeah. these are carnations," he says, gesturing to the flowers in front of him, words sharp. he sniffs, then adds, far too belatedly to be funny, "i think we've got a few to spare."

the man looks at the flowers, their pink curly petals squiggling around their stems. He picks one up, turns it over in his hands, and seems to check how the flower compares against his palm, then looks back up at levi, placing it softly on the counter. "thanks," he says, and walks straight back towards the door. levi's jaw almost falls open -- who the fuck walks into a store, requests something specific, and then just walks right out again?

"hey!"

the guy turns around to face him, an eyebrow quirked upwards. levi opens his mouth to say something else, frustration bubbling in his chest, mixing his long list of questions all together. he's trying to figure out a way to ask why the fuck he's here so much -- one that preferably doesn't sound as accusatory as that, either.

what ends up coming out instead is, "what's your name?" 

it sounds accusing anyways, and the man looks a bit taken aback. levi backpedals instinctively, fumbling his words, his tongue sticking in his mouth.

"i just -- i see you here a lot." 

the man shuffles his feet awkwardly. "i know. i probably should have introduced myself before." he clears his throat, wetting his lips as he does. "i'm erwin. i do designs next door at _paradis._ sorry if i've been a bother."

something inside levi softens a bit too much for his own liking at the apology, and he shakes his head, clicks his tongue gently. it doesn't really explain anything at all, but -- erwin bounces from foot to foot in the doorway, and levi sighs. he'll ask next time.

"it's fine. come back soon."

* * *

"maybe the guy just likes flowers," hanji offers, splitting her muffin in half. "you want some?"

"i don't really care what his reasoning is, i just think it's weird." levi knows he's not crazy. at least he thinks he knows he's not, because it's obviously not crazy, right? he feels weirder and weirder about erwin the not-customer as the weeks go by. 

hanji shrugs and drains her cup, slurping the whipped cream off the top as she does. "take the muffin, eat something, and stop breaking your brain thinking about it. why do you care anyways? he buys something, that's business in the end, or he doesn't, and nobody is worse off for it."

"except i really don't care! fuck, hanji," levi buries his head in his hands, frustrated, "I _just_ said that." he snatches the muffin off the plate. the bustle of the cafe around him grates on his nerves more than he'd care to admit, too, to be fair. he prefers the quiet gurgling of the artificial pond in his store, by far, and the smells, and the stack of books he keeps under the counter for when no one bothers him. "i'm just -- annoyed."

"eat something," she repeats, ignoring the statement. "you don't take good enough care of yourself. did you have breakfast?"

"i --" he starts, and then distinctly remembers he did not, in fact, have breakfast. "no, but --"

"and i know you almost ever eat lunch either. eat the goddamn muffin, levi ackerman."

he crams it into his mouth whole and swallows far too fast, eyes watering. "happy?" hanji's eyes crinkle as she tries not to laugh, and he suffocates his own stupid urge to smile back, throwing his hands in the air. "i -- okay, fine. you got me. i want some fucking explanation for it."

"well then ask him, moron," hanji says simply. "god, for someone as smart as you, you can be dense." the words are rough, would be rougher to most people if he didn't recognize the concern behind them too. hanji is a creature of strange affections, he thinks.

"i was going to, i," and he swallows again, trying to clear his throat. 

"you what?"

"your stupid muffin is stuck in my throat."

he takes a gulp of his coffee, too hot, and swallows anyways, coughing. "i was just caught off guard. i'll ask him next time."

"i'm just giving you advice," she shrugs back. levi frowns.

"i don't want advice, i want to complain. he's weird, right?"

"yeah, fine, he's weird." hanji shifts her cup around the edge of her saucer, watching it fall back into the centre as she does. "but you're also being obsessive again. relax a bit, ok?"

he snorts. he's definitely not. 

* * *

he doesn't talk to erwin about it the next time he comes in, nor the time after that. in fact, it takes levi a few weeks to actually even speak to him again.

rain drums on the window lightly, erwin pondering over some smaller pots before finally choosing one, making his way over to the counter. levi sits up in the chair, moving his feet off the desk, and dog-ears his page. he stands.

"find everything you need?" 

erwin sets the pot down on the glass counter softly, his large hands wrapping around it easily. he's wearing a black tank top, and levi notices for the first time that, surprisingly, his arms have little leaves inked in tasteful wreaths around his biceps. he was expecting something more along the lines of -- well, actually, if he's being honest, what had he been expecting? full sleeves, all skulls and guns or something like that. it's unanticipated, either way.

erwin lifts an eyebrow. "if i said no, what would you do?" and levi laughs dully in response.

"what do you even do here, all the time?" he tilts the pot sideways gently, careful not to spill the soil, typing the amount into the register. months of coming in multiple times a week, and erwin is buying an 8 dollar spider plant for his first purchase. it's equal parts funny and appropriate to levi.

"oh," erwin says, and realization seems to set into his eyes abruptly. "that's probably true, isn't it? i'm doing research."

"research for what?"

erwin grins nervously. "i don't know much about flowers or flower types, but recently it feels like just about everyone wants them tattooed. so, every time i get a new commission for one, i come in and look around. it's easier to use photo references if i've also seen them in real life, and it gives me a reference for scale too. i think i... mentioned before that i worked at _paradis,_ right?"

"oh." levi's mind goes blank as it all clicks into place, and he groans. that made too much sense. "yeah, you did. dumb question." 

erwin laughs softly and offers him a handful of change, pushing it across the counter. levi counts it quickly, tossing it into the register without a second thought.

"so is this guy part of your little project then?" he asks, placing the spider plant into a paper bag. the machine finishes printing the receipt, and he tears it neatly, tucking it into the bag as well. erwin takes it from him and shakes his head.

"i just wanted to get my own collection started." he peers into the bag. "I think I'm going to name him oscar."

levi snorts. "shit name for a plant." he cringes at his own words a second later, harsher than intended, and looks at erwin, worried he's offended. blood rushes to his face, flushing his ears, but erwin doesn't notice. 

"well, what would you name it then?" his tone doesn't sound hurt, and levi lets out a breath he hadn't meant to be holding.

levi shrugs, the pitter of rain and gentle _schuff_ of the water circulating in the fake pond in the background, flops into the seat again, leaning back, and finally offers, "ethylene glycol." he pauses, then adds "ethyl, for short."

"that's... equally bad. worse, even, i might wager." erwin says.

"nothing could be worse than oscar, eyebrows," levi shoots back bluntly.

a little notch forms on erwin's forehead as he squints at him. "eyebrows?"

"yeah," levi says, defensive. he opens his book again, trying to find his page. "pretty fuckin hard not to notice em. big ol' caterpillars." the pages rustle under his fingers.

"are you this rude to all your customers?" erwin snips, his voice curt. there's a light in his eyes as he does, though. levi notices the little crow's feet again, the curve of his lips, the slight hug of the fabric of his shirt around the muscles of his torso, the bob of erwin's adam's apple. he swallows. 

levi grunts. "come back if you feel like staring at the orchids for another half hour next week," allocating his gaze back to his book. 

footsteps fall on the linoleum, and, with the chime of the door, erwin was gone. 

* * *

he gets to the second cup early. hanji smiles at him from behind the barista bar, and holds up five fingers, gesturing to the line trailing away from the counter, so he places an order and sits down at the service bar next to where she's working. he already knows that it'll be way more than five minutes, pulling out his phone. 

she places the black coffee he ordered in front of him, talking over her shoulder as she turns to keep working. "so what's up this week then? anything interesting?"

"just the regular bustle," he drawls slowly. he sips his coffee, bitter and rich on his tongue.

"good," hanji says, her back to him, "cause i'm pretty sure i saw your boy obsession here last week."

levi chokes on his own spit. 

"you did not," he says. "stop fucking with me like that."

"blonde, shaved sides, yey tall?" hanji replies, throwing a hand over her head. nevermind that he'd already told her all that himself. levi rolls his eyes. "blue eyes, pretty buff --"

"alright," levi says, "so what if he came to a fucking second cup down the street from where he fucking works?"

"so nothing," hanji jokes, "i just wanted to see if you got excited."

levi reaches over the counter to grab at her, squawking, and hanji cackles evilly. 

"relax, the board of health will be on my ass for having a client behind the bar if you keep that up," she grins, "but i _know_ i'm not wrong. you're totally crushing on him levi."

"says who?"

hanji laughs. metal on metal as she throws one of the drink mixers into the sink, and a rough grinding noise as she blends the ice. "says me. erwin this and erwin that, every time i see you. you sound like back in highschool when you had that crush on petra ral."

"i did not!" he says, a little too loudly, and flinches when one of the other people waiting for their drink looks over at him. "she annoyed the _shit_ out of me!"

"point," hanji says, pausing to hit the blend button on the ice and milk again, "and case." she pours it into the cup, pausing to lift it and read the label, "vanilla bean to go for… dylan?"

"shut up," levi groans. "what do you even know, you work at _second cup_ for fuck's sake."

hanji looks at him, mock pain in her voice now. "I'm so wounded, levi. do you think me not smart enough to go to college with the other masses?" she laughs and says, "i know i only finish in residence this year, but i diagnose you officially with lovesickness, levi ackerman."

levi opens his mouth to say something else, but snaps it shut again when he realizes that she is kind of right. the mystery guy had grown on him, enough that he'd noticed last week when he hadn't been on the bus.

thinking about the way his shirt sleeves gripped his arms, or the soft, well-mannered drawl of his voice didn't help either. 

he rests his chin on his palms, sighing, and hanji's mouth twitches upwards.

"so i am right then." it's not a question.

"maybe," he murmurs aloud. "i'm not sure yet."

hanji shrugs. another thud as she throws a plastic jug into the sink. "I can't decide for you. but he seemed nice when he was in here."

"maybe," levi repeats. his stomach grumbles, and hanji's eyes immediately flicker back to him.

"did you eat anything today?"

* * *

erwin brings a sketchbook with him on some days. levi watches as the pencil glides across the paper, rough daffodils and roses emerging from the pages. he sings under his breath on the especially good days.

"how many flower commissions do you even get?" he asks one day. 

"it's not my main thing," erwin admits, "but a lot of younger women are getting more simplistic designs of flowers or leaves or other stuff like that. sometimes guys too, although it's less frequent." he pauses to shake out his hand, then stretch an arm over his head.

"oh? only some guys?"

"just not as popular as what I usually do. i like dogs, and snakes most. but flowers work with my style." erwin sighs. "i'm starting to really like them too, though."

"which are your favourites?" a creak as levi leans forwards in his chair, curious.

"hm." erwin glances upwards, pensive. his brow knits together, the notch between his eyebrows deepening again. levi's noticed he does it a lot.

"foxglove, maybe. or dandelions."

a scoff. "dandelions? they're weeds."

"well what are yours then?" erwin counters, a bit defensive.

"snapdragons. easily. not fuckin' dandelions."

"they're actually incredibly useful and resilient," erwin corrects him. "you can eat the whole plant, and they're high in vitamin c. i did finish up a bio major before getting a tattoo apprenticeship, you know. thought about maybe becoming a scientific illustrator for a long time, but the industry for that has shrivelled up."

levi grunts again. "fuckin' nerd."

"quoth the florist." erwin laughs, he pauses, graphite resting against his notebook. "mostly because they're wild, too. no one ever tries to grow dandelions in their yard. but they show up anyways."

levi tilts his head. "and foxgloves, then?"

"old medicinal herb." erwin waves his hand. "they're pretty, but not super relevant. labrador tea is kinda the same thing." 

he lifts his shirt sleeve, showing the leaves levi had noticed before again. this time he gets a better view, the almond leaves sprinkled with tiny clusters of flowers, highlighted with white ink along the ridges.

"my friend mike inked me, so it's not perfect, but these are actually supposed to be a labrador tea plant, though some people call it "bitter tea". their leaves are usually rust-orange on the undersides, and you can boil the flowers if you want it to be sweeter."

"for someone who doesn't know much about flowers, you sure don't shut up." he looks carefully at the tattoo, the slender stem and leaves peering back. 

"maybe," erwin smiles. he checks his watch, then stands. "i have to get ready for my next appointment," he says, dusting off his jeans as he does. his hair is flopped to one side, a bit messy.

"sure," levi says, then makes a sweeping motion over his own head.

"what?"

"your hair," he explains. "push it back down then middle, it's weird right now."

"oh," erwin says. he slicks it the other way, and it goes crooked. "thanks."

levi's nose crinkles. "just -- fucking come here," he orders, standing up and walking over. erwin's eyes go comically wide, unsure what exactly was happening, but he bows his head down obligingly so levi can reach. it's more irritating than levi cares to admit.

"look here," he says, smoothing it down. a few strands poke out again, so he frowns, running his hands over it a second time until he's satisfied. "there. you're good now."

"..thanks." erwin says. he straightens, and they meet eyes for a second before levi breaks it off abruptly.

"go," he orders. "don't be late." erwin looks away as well, gathering up his stuff as levi walked back to the desk, sighing back into the chair.

"i'll see you in a few days, then?" erwin looks back up, his sketchbook tucked against his ribs under the crook of his elbow. levi gulps again.

"sure."

* * *

he's waiting for the stupid bus home, rain dripping down the back of his shirt, huddled under a streetlamp, when erwin turns up a few days later. it's getting dark, the moon full overhead, the sun almost set, bleeding faint light across the sky, and erwin calls out to him, hands sheltering his face as he does, rain running off them and down his arms.

"you ok?" erwin asks, skidding to a stop beside him. levi is shivering as he does, and he shoots him a death glare.

"do i _look_ ok?" levi snaps. it's not especially cold, but the water flows off of him in droves, running down the legs of his pants and filling his shoes with an unpleasant squelching sensation. the wind blows clean through his clothing, nose dipped into the neck of his sweater.

erwin laughs, and it's loud, centred in his stomach. "yeah, i guess not. here," he pauses, shrugs off his leather jacket, drapes it over levi's shoulders. 

levi feels his eyes go wide for a moment, staring up, erwin's face pale where the moonlight hit it, and off-yellow in the streetlamp. a car drives through a puddle, sloshing rainwater over their ankles.

"idiot," he says, shaking out his hair. rain dribbles down his lip, dripping off his chin. it's heavy and warm and smells like erwin. levi pulls it tighter around him. "it's too big." 

"sorry," erwin shrugs, his hair parting down the middle, falling to the sides, messy, and levi clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth, nose crinkling. 

erwin smiles. "what?"

"you look like a mess. again."

erwin laughs again, and the bus pulls up. "are you this mean to everyone, or am i special?"

they ride home in silence, the night darkening around them, rain pittering against the roof of the bus, hum of the engine reverberating against his back and in his lungs when levi leans against the wall. he offers erwin his coat as he stands for his stop. 

"keep it," erwin says. "I'll pick it up tomorrow. besides, it looks good on you."

* * *

the next few days, the weather is brighter, only occasionally overcast where puffy clouds drift in front of the sun. levi finds himself in a better mood for it.

there's a note stuck to the door when levi gets there friday morning.

_can't come by today. meet me later?_

underneath the note on the floor, there's a bundle of white and yellow snapdragons, tied together with butcher's twine. levi smiles to himself, picking it up, and realizes there's another sheet of paper underneath. 

he looks closer, and realizes it's a portrait of himself sitting at the desk, his feet propped up, eyes fixated on a book in his hands.

* * *

erwin buys a few more plants before levi finally bothers him about it.

"are you ever gonna get around to asking me out?" he blurts, and erwin freezes, ice blue eyes locked on levi's. his hand is still extended with a ten dollar bill in it.

"i -- what?"

levi snorts. "if you won't do it, i will," he snaps. erwin's mouth twitches into a smile. 

"will you now?" erwin replies, his tone completely even. "ask me what, then?"

levi groans.

"just cut the shit," he mumbles, voice muffled as he presses his head into his hands.

there's a semi awkward pause, erwin glancing away, and levi peers back up through the spaces in his fingers, his heart plummeting, hardening to stone in his chest. had he been wrong?

he's trying to find some way to backpedal, to play it all off as a joke, when erwin opens his mouth.

"i'm free saturday night," he says finally, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. his cheeks are just the slightest shade of pink. "maybe we could go watch a movie?"

the words take a moment to fully sink in, and levi realizes that that's actually a _yes,_ his brain already having accepted rejection in a desperate attempt to not get his hopes up. it takes less than half a second for all of that restraint to go straight out the window.

"oh," levi murmurs. "wasn't expecting that."

erwin laughs nervously. "do you have a phone?" he offers levi his own.

levi digs it out of his pocket and unlocks it, handing it to erwin, swapping it for his. the four letters of his name feel almost impossible to type, chest pounding. 

"alright," erwin breathes, handing back the phone. his smile is radiant, his crinkled eyes shining. levi gets out of his chair and walks him to the door. "i'll see you saturday then?"

"saturday," levi agrees, his breath caught in his throat. 

erwin turns to leave, closing the distance to the door in three even steps, and --

his hand is hovering over the doorknob when levi catches his shoulder, grabs him by the collar, and kisses him. 

erwin tilts his head down just slightly enough to accommodate the height difference, his stubble, five o’clock shadow, scraping levi’s chin and cheeks. the smooth leather of his jacket grips under levi's hands, his breath soft against his lips before they break apart. 

he tasted like smoke and green tea. levi doesn't usually like either of those things.

"i didn't want that to go unsaid, is all," he mumbles, rubbing his arm. erwin smiles, and pulls him back in, and all levi can think is static gratitude that erwin walked in six months ago to draw flowers and sing quietly in his store. 

"it didn't," he says, and kisses him again.

**Author's Note:**

> yea yea yea basic prompt, i know lol. i just wanna write my boys being happy. big ol sap for levi being a surly shopkeeper
> 
> hint; it isn't the first time erwin has drawn you, levi


End file.
